Doctors: Training
Commons · Question 51223 · Tabled 9 May 2025 · Department of Health and Social Care · Official record
Answered 14 May 2025
Question
Asked by Aphra Brandreth
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered allowing medical students in their second foundation year to apply for positions that are ring-fenced for physician associates.
Answer
Answered by Karin Smyth, 14 May 2025
No such consideration has been made. The role of physician associates (PAs) is to work with and support doctors, not to replace them. To become employed as a PA, candidates will need to have completed a recognised PA qualification.Regulation of PAs by the...